Blackjack Strategy

Using basic blackjack strategy

The most difficult part of playing Blackjack is making the right choices. You have to stop taking cards in time, but not too early. You also have to keep an eye on the dealer’s card. Of course it’s not nice if the dealer manages to win with 1 point more. Fortunately, there is a way to determine when it’s best to stop drawing cards. This is called basic blackjack strategy. The basic strategy was developed by a mathematician. He made probability calculations to determine how likely it is that you’ll win with a certain amount of points.

He looked at what your best chance is if you stop now or take a card. Based on this he made a strategy table. Based on your own score and the dealer’s card, you can calculate how much chance you have of winning if you take a card now or stop. You can easily read this off in a table. Of course it remains a probability calculation but your chances are slightly better if you follow the table.

Combine the basic strategy with a betting strategy

Basic Blackjack strategy is the only strategy that tells you what to do. So when to hit the deck or not. It increases your chances of winning. But of course it’s not possible to completely avoid losing. This is why players often combine this strategy with a betting strategy. For example with the Martingale strategy. If you should ever lose, then this strategy will absorb your loss for you.

You’ll also increase the amount you win and you’re less likely to walk away from the blackjack table with a loss. Our tip, therefore, is to combine both blackjack strategies to achieve a winning outcome. This is also called 21 System when you combine both tactics.

The 5 best Blackjack tactics

Nobody likes to lose. Fortunately, this is not necessary when you use tactics. Many strategies allow you to increase your chances of winning enormously by playing tactically. There are two conditions to be able to win:

1. Make sure you have enough funds in your casino account
2. Check the table limits before you play

First of all, you need to have enough budget and you need to play Blackjack at a large limit table. If you meet these requirements, chances are you will always win. Especially in combination with the Blackjack strategy table.

In theory, never lose again with the Martingale

No one likes to lose. Fortunately, you also never have to lose again with the Martingale strategy. With this strategy, you can theoretically always win. However, there are two caveats to always winning. First, you need to have a sufficient budget and you need to play Blackjack at an ample limit table. If you meet these requirements, there’s a good chance you’ll always win. Especially when combined with the basic strategy.

How does this optimal strategy work?

The Martingale works as follows: You start with a starting bet. For example € 1 on the hand you are going to play with. Then you play the game, but unfortunately you lose. The next round you bet €2. This time you win and take €4. Your total win is €1. Now you go back to your starting bet of €1

With Martingale, if you lose, you must double and if you win, you go back to your initial bet. Because you have to double each time you lose, your budget can go hard before you win any money. This is the reason a large budget is necessary. But if you combine Martingale with the Basic Strategy you reduce the risk of losing and can win quite a bit of money.

Parlay Strategy for Blackjack

Parlay is a technique where you can win a lot of money in an effective way. The goal of this tactic is to win € 400 with a bet of only € 20. With this tactic you double the bet when you win to eventually win € 400. The tactic works as follows: the first round you bet € 20. You win so the next round you bet € 40. You now bet € 80. This continues until your last bet of € 320.

If you win this one you take €400 profit. It seems simple, but most players stop after 3 wins and then start again. The chances of winning five times in a row are less than one percent. In Blackjack, not even a basic strategy will do. So this is something that many blackjack players make a mistake about.

Labouchere bets according to a number sequence

The Labouchere strategy involves betting according to a sequence of numbers. You can make the sequence as long as you like. These can be just random numbers. Bijvoorbeeld 4,3,2,6,1,7,9,1,2,3. With the Labouchere you take the two outer numbers and add them together. So this is 4 + 3 = 7. You have previously chosen one chip, for example € 1. This means that you now bet € 7 and the two outermost numbers are removed from the sequence

Do you lose? Then you put number 7 at the end of the sequence. In this way you continue to bet according to this sequence and the sequence becomes longer each time you lose. In the end, the goal is to clear the entire sequence. If you do this, a profit remains.

Counting Cards

Counting cards is a tactic we see a lot in movies and series. However, it is an existing tactic to use. In single deck blackjack, it’s possible to actually win at counting cards. You just have to be good at math to win this way

But it is possible to win at Blackjack this way. You have to take into account that this strategy can only be used in land-based casinos. So you can’t use this tactic in the online casino. This is because in online blackjack the cards are dealt by a Random Number Generator

Paroli and 1-3-2-6

The last two tactics you can possibly use are Paroli and 1-3-2-6. Paroli is very simple and is the opposite of Martingale. In this tactic you double your bet if you win instead of losing. If you lose, you take a step back in order to eventually make a profit.

At 1-3-2-6 you play according to a betting system. Here you always double the bet several times in order to eventually achieve a substantial profit. You can read more about this on our website.

How do I play with a Blackjack Strategy?

How does the Blackjack point system work?

In order to be able to use an optimal strategy, it is of course handy if you know how the scoring works. As you can see in the table below, the ace has special regulations. This card can count as either 1 or 11 points.

Suppose you have a number 7 and an ace in your hand, then you can choose between 8 or 18 points. It’s best to choose the 18 points, because it’s closer to 21 points (Blackjack).

In the table below you can see what the low cards are worth and how it works exactly with the high cards. This way you can easily calculate your own point total every round.

Blackjack Strategy Frequently Asked Questions